An old plastic container floats in the North Sea off the west coast of Denmark. (picture alliance/dpa/archive)
Biofabrik, a company located near Dresden, wants to convert marine plastics into valuable fuel. After six years of research work and a finished prototype, series production is now set to begin, says founder and managing director Oliver Riedel. The "WASTX Plastic" plant will process up to 1,000 kilograms of non-recyclable plastics. "One kilo of plastic produces about one liter of fuel," Riedel said. Under high pressure and with special reactors, the plastics - such as roofing felt, fishing nets or packaging - are converted into gas or liquid at high temperatures.
Roman Maletz, who conducts research on plastics recycling at the Institute for Waste and Recycling Management at the Technical University in Dresden, considers the conversion of plastics into raw materials to be the right approach for the sustainable use of plastic waste. The experience of the past years had shown however that the technical conversion can be difficult, he said.
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